Poinsettia plant named `702`

ABSTRACT

Poinsettia `702` is a new cultivar, distinguished by dark red flower bracts, dark green foliage, self-branching characteristics and 9-week flowering response time. The new plant produces a very desirable branched flowering pot plant for the mid-season holiday market. Poinsettia `702` is resistant to epinasty after being confined to shipping containers. The post-production foliage and bract retention is excellent even under low light intensities in the consumer&#39;s home.

BACKGROUND OF THE PLANT

This new poinsettia cultivar, `702`, originated as an inducedself-branching sport of a seedling known as "K-06" (not patented) in mygreenhouse in Encinitas, Calif. It was selected because of its dark redflower bracts, dark green foliage, self branching characteristics, andmid-season flowering response; traits that distinguish it from otherpoinsettia cultivars, and seem to make it a desirable plant forcommercial greenhouse production. After selection, `702` wasvegetatively reproduced from stem cuttings for test purposes inEncinitas, Calif. "K-06" is a proprietary plant and there are nospecimens in the public domain. Poinsettia "K-06" is not self-branchingin that no axillary branches develop as long as the apical bud is notremoved (pinched). `702` is self-branching in that during developmentaxillary branches elongate without removal of the apical bud. If undershort day conditions, the axillary branches will develop inflorescences.Poinsettia `702` most closely resembles poinsettia `725` (U.S. PlantPat. No. 9,951), but differs in these aspects: `702` has darker redbracts, darker green foliage, more flower bracts and cyathia and a moreopen center to the bract presentation than `725` under the same culturalconditions. By subjecting clones of this plant to successive generationsof vegetative propagation, it was demonstrated that the distinctivecharacteristics of `702` held true from generation to generation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Poinsettia `702` is illustrated in the accompanying color photographs.

The upper photograph is a side view of a branched plant.

The lower photograph is a top view of the same `702` plant showingflower and bract formation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The following is a detailed description of this new poinsettia asobserved in Encinitas, Calif., USA during December 1996. Observationswere recorded from flowering plants, grown as one branched plant perpot. The pot was 14 cm in diameter and 11 cm in height. Colordesignations are compared to the 1986 edition of R.H.S. Colour Chart,first published in 1966 by The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England.

THE PLANT

The following chart summarizes some of the differences betweenPoinsettia `702` and the plant it most closely resembles, Poinsettia`725` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 9,951) under the same cultural conditions.

    ______________________________________                                        Plant          '702'       '725'                                              ______________________________________                                        No. of Bracts  22-24       16-18                                              Bract color                     RHS 45A-B                                     No. of cyathia           20-22                                                                                     8-10                                     Bract margins            Entire                                                                                  Sometimes lobed                            Bract petioles length                                                                           4-5 cm            2-3 cm                                    ______________________________________                                    

Origin: Sport of a seedling. The sport was induced by application of theprocedures set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,276 to the seedling parentplant. Rootstock used was `Angelika` (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 5,492).

Classification:

Botanical.--Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd.

Common name.--Poinsettia.

Cultivar name.--`702`.

Form: Shrub.

Height: Short -- medium.

Growth habit: As a single stemmed plant, upright and vigorous withself-branching side shoots. The application of a chemical growthretardant may be needed to restrict height for commercial pot plantproduction. I observed a branched plant in a pot with an overall heightof 41 cm and an overall width of 51 cm. The diameter of individualinflorescences is 26 cm.

Branching: Axillary branches will develop and terminate in aninflorescence without pinching. However, it is usually desirable topinch `702` before flower induction and remove all terminal dominance.Then, all axillary branches will develop uniformly and at a faster rate.

Growth rate: Rooting of stem cutting occurs in 12-18 days underintermittent mist. The plant will flower in about nine weeks undercontinuous long night conditions and night temperatures of about 16-18°C.

Foliage: The foliage is clean and uniformly dark green from bottom totop of the plant. The leaves are of medium size, leaf blades typically13-15 cm long and 8-9 cm wide with leaf petioles 6 cm long and deep red.The upper leaf surface is glabrous and the under surface is finelypubescent.

Leaf shape.--Typical leaves are generally ovate with obtuse to acutebases and acuminate tips. Leaf margins are mostly entire but some with 1or 2 indentations on each side of the leaf blade.

Color.--Upper side -- Dark green, darker than R.H.S. 147A. Under side --Green, R.H.S. 147A-B.

Retention.--The foliage lasts extremely well even under low lightintensities in the consumers home.

Bracts: Generally there are 22-24 dark red bracts of various sizessubtending the cyathia. The primary bracts have blades typically 11 cmlong and 6-7 cm wide with petioles 4-5 cm long.

Shape.--Primary bracts are ovate with acute bases and acuminate tips.Primary bract margins are entire. Secondary bracts are of various sizes,obovate to broadly elliptical, and have entire margins.

Color.--Upper side -- Dark red, R.H.S. 46A-B. Under side -- Red, R.H.S.53B-C.

Flowers: Generally, 20-22 cyathia (flowers) per inflorescence arepresent when the plant is in full bloom. Each cyathium is about 7 mmlong and 6 mm wide, green in color, and fringed with red at the distalend. A small yellow nectar cup tinged orange, protrudes from the side ofeach cyathium. The flower pedicel is also green and about 4 mm inlength. The stamens protruding from the cyathia are dark red. Theanthers are bifurcate; the pollen is yellow and copious. The stigmas aredark red and trifurcate.

Nectar exudate.--Very little.

Seeds.--Self-incompatible.

Fertility.--Not observed.

Post production: Poinsettia `702` is resistant to epinasty after beingconfined to shipping containers and retains its leaves and flower bractsfor several weeks in the consumer's home environment.

Disease resistance: Typical of the species.

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct Poinsettia plant, substantially as herein shown and described, distinguished by its dark red flower bracts, dark green foliage, self-branching characteristics and mid-season flowering response. 